Revelation 6:12-17: the sixth seal

6:12  And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

This seal opens with a great earthquake and the sun turning black with the moon turning red. There is an astronomic disturbance and a tremendous meteor shower, perhaps, although there are possible spiritual meanings of this passage about the stars of heaven. This is a world-shaking event that takes place, an earthquake that is devastating and things falling from space. It is so bad that the great men and the lowly men of the earth hide in places that would not be where you would go in a regular earthquake hoping to be hidden from Christ’s wrath. Perhaps, in their unbelief they view this kind of death as an escape from the physical destruction. They admit that no one can stand against Christ in this absolute disaster. It is possible then to know that God is judging you but to reject His authority over you.

Do the stars of heaven signify spiritual beings from what we call outer space but what God calls the firmament of the heaven coming to earth?

Genesis 1:15  And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

Psalm 115:16  The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

Ephesians 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Notice the day of Christ’s wrath is come. This is the wrath that the church is not to suffer under which may be why the church as named such does not appear in Revelation after 4:1. Christ is said to have spared us from the wrath to come.

1Thessalonians 1:10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Revelation 6:3-11 comments: the second through fifth seals

6:3 ¶  And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4  And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

The opening of this seal released a red horse. Obviously, there is a rider on the horse and he has power to cause war. This is not the red horse rider in Zechariah as he is observing the world, not causing war.

Zechariah 1:8  I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white 9  Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 10  And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11  And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

We have a conqueror and then war over the earth. Killing by the sword is a characterization of war and not necessarily referring to a specific weapon as people are killed in war by catapults, spears, knives, and clubs among other weapons. Don’t get hung up on God not mentioning AK-47’s or hand grenades.

 6:5  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The third seal is famine, riding a black horse. So far, we have a conqueror with a bow, war, and famine which follows both. A third of Germany’s population in the Thirty Year’s War in the early 1600’s perished, mostly by famine and disease, as armies raged over the land.

A penny represents a day’s wages.

Matthew 20:2  And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

In a famine the price of food goes up. If we imagine a loaf of bread requiring a day’s wages we can see, for a minimum wage worker today that loaf of bread would cost about $60.(9)

Luxury items are not affected, perhaps? The oil and the wine are not affected?

Proverbs 21:17  He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Could it be possible that this disaster adversely affects the working classes and the poor most of all as disasters like war often do?

Let’s move to the fourth seal.

(9) Wayne Croley, “Revelation 6:6: The End Times Cost of Food Part 1. “ Prophecy Proof. http://www.prophecyproof.org/2011/02/revelation-66-the-end-times-cost-of-food-part-1/. (accessed 12.16.2015).

 6:7  And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8  And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Death, the fourth horseman, follows famine, war, and a conqueror as it often has throughout history. If the earth is not simply a reference to what had been the Roman Empire of that time then a fourth of the world’s population is killed with weapons of war, hunger, disease, and the natural world’s resurgence. We must always keep in mind, though, that when most people in Europe, the Western Asia, and North Africa wrote about the earth in those days they were referring to the Mediterranean world.

A couple of notes here. For killing with death see comments on chapter 2, verse 23. This suggests a plague or plagues, which the previous comments on the seals, trumpets, and vials manifest.

It is well-known that in some parts of the United States, at least, natural predators are on the rise again due to laws restricting the hunting of them. Mountain lions, coyotes, and wolves are coming back. We will learn why our forefathers killed them if this keeps up as our livestock, pets, and even our children become their prey again.

 If these things are happening at the same time, as some say, then when the fourth trumpet sounds;

Revelation 8:12  And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

And the fourth vial is poured out;

Revelation 16:8 ¶  And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

There is a conqueror, hail and fire mingled with blood, a horrible sore on the worshippers of the Beast’s image, but war on the earth, an asteroid hitting the earth or a volcano falling into the sea, the water congealed like men’s blood a third of sea creatures that breathe died, and a third of the ships destroyed. We have famine, something falling from outer space making the waters undrinkable, and water normally drank turned to blood. There is a plague or plagues and wild animals killing large numbers of people, sun, moon, and stars limited, great heat, and misery over the people who would not give God glory and blasphemed Him. Here is conflict with the contemporaneous view. The sun is smitten but the sun scorches men. So, I do not feel comfortable believing these events all happen at the same time as some commentators have said.

Now, for the fifth seal.

    6:9 ¶  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

The fifth seal opens with martyrs crying out from under the altar asking why God has not taken vengeance on their murderers. These people are already in heaven, not represented by angels in heaven with their physical bodies being on earth. They have been martyred. Prophets in the past have asked why the wicked were allowed to pursue their goals for so long.

Jeremiah 12:1  Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

The martyrs were given white robes.

Revelation 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

They are told to chill because there are more of them to be killed. God has previously told someone that a promise would be fulfilled later when something was complete.

Genesis 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

If the seals and trumpets and vials happen at the same time we have;

Revelation 9:1 ¶  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5  And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6  And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7  And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8  And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9  And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10  And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11  And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12  One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

Along with the agony caused by these supernatural creatures from Hell there is;

Revelation 16:10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

It appears that the trumpet seems to be the spiritual cause of the physical agony the vial places on the  kingdom of the Beast, who, I said, was probably that conqueror in the first seal.

I believe then that these events in the first five seals are future events with a disaster encompassing the entire world never felt in human history since the Great Flood. The first rider is the Beast, a conqueror. I do not believe the events of the seals, trumpets, and vials, have to be happening at the same time.

Let’s move on to the sixth seal.

Revelation 6:1-2 comments: the first seal

To begin with five seals will be opened speaking of terrible events; conquest, war, famine, pestilence, and death all around. It is a singular catastrophe for the earth. Is this the history of the last two thousand years as some would say, historicists, or are these first five seals future events with the first rider being the conquering Beast of later in Revelation, the wars and rumours of wars of Matthew 24? We shall see.

6:1 ¶  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Unless this is historical, a reference to events of the last two thousand years of which there are many conquerors like this, there will be, in time, a human conqueror above all conquerors that went on previously. He will be greater than the Mongols under Genghis Khan, who some historians estimate killed 20% of the world’s population at the time of the 13^th century. He will be greater even than Alexander the Great who brought together a kingdom from Egypt to India to Greece.

Christ opened the first seal and thunder was heard. One of the beasts, and we don’t know which one, said to Come and see. John sees a white horse ridden by a conqueror carrying a bow. Who was the first Biblical character who is known as an archer?

Genesis 21:20  And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21  And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

This is Ishmael, son of Hagar and Abraham, who resulted from Abraham’s lack of trust in God’s promise. Who is another Bible character who is known for being an archer?

Genesis 27:3  Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4  And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. 5  And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

King Saul taught the use of the bow to the people of Israel and we know how Saul ended.

2Samuel 1:17 ¶  And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

18  (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

Christ rides a white horse in Revelation 19.

Revelation 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

But, this is not Christ or Christianity, the Vatican’s claims aside. Christ is equipped with a sharp sword that proceeds out of His mouth.

19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Revelation 5:6-14 comments: a multitude and every creature

5:6 ¶  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7  And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14  And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Here is a multitude of the redeemed from every ethnicity and language praising Christ as God. A numberless amount of angels, representing the saved on earth stand praising Him along with the beasts around the throne and the elders. Every living creature praises God and every creature which is in heaven. Here is more evidence that there are creatures other than men and women in the spiritual world, and in Heaven. Some preachers will assert that there are no animals in Heaven or the world of the spirit ignoring not only the prototypes for all creatures around the throne but also things like the scene in 2Kings 6 where Elisha prays that a young man’s eyes are opened and they see chariots and horses around the city.

Verse 6 – John sees a Lamb. Remember how in Exodus the Bible took us from a Lamb, to the Lamb, to your lamb?

Exodus 12:3  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4  And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

There is a lamb that is the lamb but he must become your lamb.

Abraham, in his testing, recited a prophecy that God would provide himself a lamb for the sacrifice even though in the literal context a ram caught in a thicket was the immediate sacrificial victim.

Genesis 22:7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together…13  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of the world.

John 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

This was ordained because of God’s foreknowledge of man’s rebellion from when the world was founded.

Revelation 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The Lamb standing as if it had been slain has seven horns and seven eyes and these are the seven Spirits of God sent out to cover the earth. Remember;

Revelation 3:1  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Revelation 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Seven lamps of fire are the seven Spirits of God. Seven stars, as per 3:1, also represent the seven Spirits of God. The seven stars are;

Revelation 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

These seven Spirits of God are these seven churches that were sent forth unto all the earth. Clearly, John is seeing a vision that has a great deal of figurative importance. This is a fundamental fact of prophecy. What is happening in the spiritual world, the unseen world, is far greater than we can understand or envision by simply eye to brain interpretation.

2Corinthians 12:4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Seven stars, seven lamps burning, seven churches, seven Spirits of God. Seven is an immensely important number representing completion; seven days of creation, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials.

Remember Jericho?

Joshua 6:8  And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

Verses 7 & 8 – the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, took the book out of the right hand of God the Father, and when He did the beasts and the 24 elders fell down before him in the position of worship and they had harps and golden vials of odors, which are representing the prayers of saints. Harps were instruments used in the temple to praise God and prophecy could be sung to the accompaniment of a harp.

Psalm 33:2  Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

Psalm 43:4  Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.

Psalm 49:4  I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

The believer’s prayer is a sacrifice, an offering.

Psalm 50:23  Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

Psalm 141:2  Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Hebrews 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Saints are the sanctified ones, set apart by God, the believers who have followed and will follow Christ in glory.

Deuteronomy 33:2  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

Ephesians 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Verse 9 – The elders and the beasts sing, unlike the angels at Christ’s birth in Luke 2:13,14 who did not sing but did say, they sing the prayers of saints, a new song praising Christ for being worthy to open the book and the seals. This verse shows the universal aspect of salvation. People from every race, language, ethnic group, kingdom, and part of the earth have been saved.

Note again that it is by God’s blood we have been redeemed. Remember;

Acts 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Hebrews 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

Revelation 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Verse 10 – The saints sung that the Lamb had made them kings and priests to God and they would reign on the earth. Paul gave us a hint first that we would be in the place of a ruler and a judge.

1Corinthians 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

2Timothy 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Peter also referred to the Jewish Christian at that time that he was writing which can be inferred as applying to all Christians.

1Peter 2: 4 ¶  To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ…9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

And again, it is stated in Revelation;

Revelation 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

It is important that we read that this will be on the earth and understand that we are not promised some other planet like some heretical faith traditions in America have claimed. This, in linking chapter 20 and verse 6 shows the place of Christ’s millennial reign is on the earth and not on some distant planet or place.

Verses 11- 10,000 times 10,000 is, of course, 100,000,000 angels. Since an angel is the presence of someone or something who is physically somewhere else….

Isaiah 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Matthew 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Acts 12:13  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. 14  And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. 15  And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

….these angels may represent believers who are and will be saved, as we are already seated in heaven by angels that represent us…

Ephesians 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Hebrews 12: 22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

…as Christ Himself was here on earth and in heaven at the same time…

John 3:13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

So, perhaps we are already in heaven praising God. But, don’t let the mention of a hundred million lead you to believe that is the limit of all saved people from all generations. I mean, it could be, but it is not necessarily so, and may be just pointing out that it is a huge amount.

Modern science believes there is a similar number of stars in the heavens as there are grains of sand on earth although by their guessing they believe there are more stars.(7) The Bible states a similar idea by parallel phrasing.

Genesis 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

Hebrews 11:12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

God dares Abraham to tell, or count, the stars (think of the bank teller).

Genesis 15:5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Although God Himself can count them and, in fact, has names for every one.

Psalm 147:4  He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

But, notice how the Holy Spirit uses the parallelism as a figure of speech to denote a large amount rather than simply representing an exact figure speaking to the Hebrews who left Egypt.

Deuteronomy 1:10  The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

So, what does ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands tell us? Two possibilities present themselves. Either there are more than 100 million in this vision or there is simply a great and huge amount in this vision. Trying to figure out how many humans were saved by God seems to be rather pointless.

Here is a similar statement in Daniel.

Daniel 7: 9 ¶  I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.10  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

(To show you how perverted prophecy can be made, a popular and influential Texan, a Methodist preacher at the opening of the War Between the Southern States and the Federal Government, W.H. Seat wrote that the Ancient of Days was not God but the United States of America in prophecy. This view of America as a redeemer nation a Christnation, if I can use that was not uncommon.)(8)

(7)Robert Krulwich, “Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On Earth Or Stars In The Sky?” National Public Radio, 9.18.2012. http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/09/17/161096233/which-is-greater-the-number-of-sand-grains-on-earth-or-stars-in-the-sky.

(8) W.H. Seat, The Confederate States of America in Prophecy (Nashville, TN: Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1861), 30,39. https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7861633W/The_Confederate_States_of_America_in_prophecy

Verse 12 – There are seven things listed that Christ is worthy of and seven is the number of completion.

Only Christ is worthy. Only Christ is worthy to receive power, which can be authority. Note the following verses as synonyms are usually connected by and;

Luke 4:36  And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

1Corinthians 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Revelation 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Riches aren’t necessarily silver and gold which will end in monetary value in eternity but have to do with riches of glory, goodness, forbearance, longsuffering, and spiritual traits valued by God that characterize Him;

Romans 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Romans 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Plus, remember, Christ made Himself poor so that we could be rich spiritually;

2Corinthians 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Philippians 2: 1 ¶  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Wisdom is linked in some places to Christ’s ability to do mighty works;

Matthew 13:54  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

The wisdom to create and sustain the universe and all physical reality in the heavens and on the earth belongs to Him.

John 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Colossians 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

We learned in Job that all physical reality from the smallest process to the greatest event in the furthest reaches of space is not a consequence of physical laws that He merely oversees or is the first cause of but are directly the result of His immediate actions. There are no laws of the universe or physics. There is only God’s will.

Strength;

One definition of strength early on in the Bible associates it with the greatest dignity and the ultimate expression of power.

Genesis 49:3  Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

It is the absoluteness of power and authority, as a firstborn in a Jewish tribe held authority and responsibility.

Deuteronomy 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

It is the strength that a Middle Eastern monarch had as the court of final appeal, the legislator of laws, and the chief executive who made treaties, prosecuted war, and dispensed justice, as applied to God’s rule over the universe.

Isaiah 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

Honor;

Of course, all honor is due Christ, who, as God, died for the sins of all mankind and rose from the dead to ensure that those who received His actions had eternal life.

Honor here is total dominance, absolute authority, and being lifted up on high in reputation, as the very opposite of holding someone in low regard. It is respect. Here are different applications of honor.

Exodus 14:18  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

Exodus 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

1Samuel 2:30  Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Leviticus 19:32  Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Glory;

Glory is the magnificence, transcendence, and unimaginable majesty of God;

Exodus 24:17  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

It is His great authority and prominence as the King of all creation.

Matthew 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

It belongs only to God.

Psalm 148:13   Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

Luke 2:14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Blessing;

Christ is worthy to be praised, to be spoken well of, to be extolled.

Psalm 34:1  « A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. » I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 66:8  O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

Psalm 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Then, in verse 13, every creature, every living act of creation, blesses Christ, who lives for ever and ever. There are four blessings here, perhaps representing the four beasts.

In verse 14 the four beasts say Amen and the twenty four elders fall down and worship Him who lives for ever and ever.

We’ve seen Christ as the only individual worthy to open the book of prophecy and judgment, identified as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. We have been allowed to view the scene in heaven as judgment on this earth and the Beast and his kingdom is prepared. Christ will be praised and a countless multitude will praise Him that includes every creature on earth.  Yes, beasts and birds are capable of and do praise God.

Revelation 5:1-5 comments: a book sealed with seven seals

We are now going to see Christ as the only individual worthy to open the book of prophecy and judgment, identified as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. We will see the scene in heaven as judgment on this earth and the Beast and his kingdom is prepared. Christ will be praised and a countless multitude will praise Him.

5:1 ¶  And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2  And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3  And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Verse 1 - God is holding a book in His right hand. It has writing on both sides and is sealed with seven seals. The right hand signifies authority and the seals signify that only God knows what is in the book.

Genesis 48:14  And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn…17  And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. 18  And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

Daniel 12:8  And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Books, or Biblion, in Greek, were made much more common by Christians as they spent a great deal of effort in reproducing Biblical texts and the letters of the Apostles and the Gospels in book form. However, that took time to come about and here at the end of the first century the book referred to may have been a scroll book, some would say. The reason I think this is a book as we know it is because when scroll is used in Isaiah 34:4 and in Revelation 6:14 it is talked about as being rolled together not opened as here. Ancient scrolls, I have read, were made smooth on one side to be written on but this book is written on both sides, as pages in a book have writing on both sides. You open a book. You unroll a scroll.

Verse 2 – An angel, a strong angel, asks in a loud voice who is worthy to open the book and the seals? This is clearly a rhetorical question as we can be sure that they know.

Psalm 103:20  Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

Five more times in Revelation an angel with a loud voice proclaims things that will not be good for the people of the earth.

Revelation 7:2  And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

Revelation 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Revelation 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Revelation 14:15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

Revelation 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

Verse 3 – No man in heaven or on earth or under the earth, in Hell, had any power to open the book or see what was inside. It is not in man’s vision to open the book of prophecy. We cannot know what is to take place without God’s words in His book. No man today claiming to know what is going to happen in the future is telling the truth apart from what he has read here.

Take a moment and consider under the earth.

Matthew 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Deuteronomy 32:22  For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Psalm 86:13  For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Revelation 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

What is a pit without a bottom, only having sides? It is a sphere, like the center of the earth.

Isaiah 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

God’s prophecies are indecipherable to unregenerate and rebellious man.

Isaiah 29:9 ¶  Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 10  For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. 11  And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: 12  And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. 13  Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14  Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. 15  Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? 16  Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

Verse 4 – John, as a man, is upset that no man is found worthy to loose the seals and open the book. Judging by the number of prophecy seminars I’ve read about in the last forty years I would say that man’s desire to know the future is equaled only by his inability.

Verse 5 – This elder names two references to Christ which are linked also by cross-referencing to His millennial reign. First look at the root of David, who was the son of Jesse.

Isaiah 11:1 ¶  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

    10 ¶  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 11  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12  And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13  The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. 14  But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. 15  And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 16  And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Juda [Judah].

Genesis 49:9  Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

Hebrews 7:14  For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

As a man, Jesus Christ’s legal descent through both Mary and his stepfather, Joseph, was from Judah.

Matthew 1:1 ¶  The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2  Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas [Judah] and his brethren;

Luke 3:33  Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda [Judah],

Only He is able to open the book and to loose the seven seals of prophecy.

Revelation 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The spirit of prophecy belongs only to Jesus Christ, not the founder of any other religious or faith tradition. You think you can figure all of this out? Well, not unless Christ reveals it to you and to keep you from declaring yourself God-like to many other people, as well. Don’t get puffed up.

Revelation 4:8-11 comments: for His pleasure

4:8 ¶  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9  And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Notice the similarity between these beasts and, not only the cherubim of Ezekiel, but the seraphim of Isaiah, in that they each have six wings.

Isaiah 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

Ezekiel reported in his vision that he saw only four wings on the cherubims. Are they the same thing or different creatures for a different function? Information for this in the Bible is not sufficient for us to draw a conclusion.

Ezekiel 1:6  And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

The beasts in heaven say constantly, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. The 24 elders fall down before the throne and cast their crowns, symbolizing judgment and authority, before God.  The spiritual representatives of the animal kingdom praise God THEN the persons who represent His people. There is something of interest there to consider. Here we see how our Creator is to be praised and why, in this context, and why all things, including ourselves, were created, for his pleasure.

This is a very difficult thing to accept and to understand, that we were created for God’s pleasure. It is His pleasure to create. It is His pleasure to bring us into His kingdom.

Luke 12: 31  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

To resurrect the believer physically, to redeem us by His blood and to forgive us…

Romans 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Ephesians 1:3 ¶  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

…to work in the believer and through him or her…

Philippians 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Understanding why you were created may be a blow to your ego but makes a lot of events in your life that were not particularly happy ones more understandable.